Leistiko/Complaint AreasJim:
Here are the complaint areas that are most commonly used by the three people who have been
coming before City Council at almost every meeting to complain about the airport for the past
year and a half.
• The airport has "student pilots" flying over our City and that is unsafe. They should stop
training flights at the airport. People who are learning to fly, or who have
learned to fly at the airport need to come to a Council meeting and tell the Council how
safe it is, especially with a certified Instructor pilot aboard who will not allow things to
get outside the safety envelope.
• Steve Eckels, Scott Davis and Mary Iverson are the three people who have come to the
City Council regularly to complain about the annoying aircraft sounds and want the City
to pass an ordinance making it a crime to disturb their peace and tranquility. They say
the Montana Constitution PREAMBLE guarantees them "quiet beauty". The
Constitution also says in the next line, "equality of opportunity and to secure the
blessings of liberty for this and future generations". We have the right to improve our
education and opportunities by learning to fly and hopefully get an aviation iob in the
future. Mr. Eckels is an instructor of students at the high school, surely he doesn't deny
someone the opportunity to better themselves by learning to fly. Fly is a part of our
vast transportation system.
• Repetitive flights, take -offs and landings, are annoying and should be stopped.
These people fail to realize that if you do not maintain your proficiency you
become unsafe. All pilots must continually train to maintain their proficiency, especially
take -offs and landings both day and night. It is not only required for the safety of the
pilots and their passengers, it is required by the FAA. Pilots must take proficiency check
rides on a regular basis. Denying them the right to train and maintain proficiency would
be absurd.
• Pilots from Red Eagle Aviation buzz my house in retaliation for my complaining about
noise. Have some pilots answer this one. These people will only be satisfied with
closing the airport.
• The new proposed noise and sound level ordinance the City is considering is to address
equipment such as sound amplification equipment like a radio, tape player, musical
instruments, and other sound making devices that produces, reproduces, or amplifies
sound. These people want to include airplanes that fly over the City. The main problem
is that it is unenforceable. How do you chase down the pilot and issue a citation. These
three people don't speak for the rest of the 15,000 residence of the City of Kalispell.
• The three people who came to the last council meeting stated that they were called by
Councilman Hafferman to alert them of the workshop, and that they should come down
and register their complaints.
• If people don't like airplanes, nothing will satisfy them except the elimination of
aviation.
• They do not care about the businesses and employees of the airport. They say that it is
just for a bunch of rich people, a select few.
• There are a lot of annoying sounds in a neighborhood, the 10 seconds that an airplane
spends over a house is nothing.
• Two City Councilmen said that they don't like airplanes and airports personally, so they
will never vote for anything to improve or expand the airport. That is their "personal
opinion" and should be kept to themselves. They have a closed mind, when it comes to
the airport. That is unfortunate for the people of Kalispell because they are not
representing the citizens, only their own views.